MAC Mineralize Eye Shadows for Summer 2010 & Pigments at Counters!

As part of MAC’s permanent Mineralize unit, they switch out the mineralize products from time to time. They will switch in different Mineralize Eyeshadows (all previously released) as of April 29th, 2010, while Pigments will become a permanent part of counters on June 10th.

Chanel Les Pop-Up de Chanel: Gloss Fluo de Chanel

I admit, when I initially saw photos the new Gloss Fluo de Chanel ($27) from Chanel’s Les Pop-Up de Chanel Collection, I was pretty excited. Bright fuchsia AND coral? That’s so me. Of course I’d be drawn to them! But I am sad to report that they’re incredibly sheer. (This is why one should not get excited purely by looking at photos!) I was curious as to why they appeared fluorescent in their tubes but ultra sheer on lips, so I figured I’d better take a harder look at what they are *supposed* to be.

So, they had me. They suckered me in! Gloss Fluo is *designed* to be “bright, sheer, light.” Is it just me or is that description kind of confusing? Bright and sheer? What? The way I review and rate a product is always based on what the product is supposed to do, not necessarily what I think it should do. I’m going to give Chanel the benefit of the doubt and just go with these are supposed to be sheer, lightweight “glosses” rather than over the top, electric color. Okay, now that that’s out of the way…

Gloss Fluo makes an excellent lip balm. It’s one of the weirdest “glosses” I’ve played with, because it doesn’t have the texture of the gloss. It’s like a squishy jelly in a glossimer tube. They’re sheer with no real shimmer but have a fairly glossy sheen/look to them.

Laser looks like a brightened fuchsia pink in the tube but applies more like a lightened baby pink with just a smidgen of fuchsia in it. On my lips, it just gives it that slicked pinked pucker look — a tiny bit of enhanced rosiness to my natural lip color with lots of pretty glossiness.

Pop looks like an electric coral-orange, but when swatched on skin, it takes on a much pinker hue. It’s more like a pink-coral than orange at all. On my lips, Pop looks like I put on a clear lipgloss–seriously. It does less for me than Laser, unfortunately.

So, they’re some of the sheerest lip products I’ve used that weren’t actually lip balm, but Gloss Fluos are ridiculously moisturizing without being heavy. I’d wear this to bed! For those who love glossier, thicker lip balms but hate that most of them are only available in pot-form, this might be something to consider. Since they apply straight out of a tube with a doe-foot wand, it makes it easy to apply, travel with, and use on the go. Not to mention, the sheerness makes it easy to apply without making mistakes. Gloss Fluos feel like a slippery jelly on lips–non-sticky, thick without being heavy or goopy. They did remind me a bit of MAC’s Tendertones, but in a gloss tube instead.

I want to reiterate that as far as I can tell, Chanel wanted these to be sheer. They will work well with the lipsticks from the launch, as those are more vibrant (I’ve tried only one, but the other two seem promising), and designed to be more pigmented. I think these work as a moisturizing lip balm with a glossy finish, but I’m not sure I’d put my $27 towards a Chanel lip balm. It’s heaven on the lips, but I’d probably opt for one of Chanel’s Glossimers or Rouge Allures for the price and opt for a cheaper lip balm.

Don’t get me wrong, though, because these made my lips sigh in relief after a round of lip swatching. They were instantly hydrating, smooth, and wore for hours and kept my lips moisturized all afternoon.

If you want to know more about how products are evaluated, read out Rating System FAQ!

Product: 28/30

Value: 7/10

Ease of Use: 4/5

Packaging: 4/5

Recommendation: If the idea of a clear but glossy, ultra moisturizing lip balm in a tube gets your engine running and you don’t mind paying a little extra to get Chanel, you may like these. Not a must-have if you’ve found a solid balm that doesn’t break the bank already!

The Summer Season: Illamasqua Frenzy Intense Lipgloss

Illamasqua Frenzy Intense Lipgloss ($19.00 of 0.20 oz.) is a fierce, ultra-pigmented hot pink lipgloss. Illamasqua is totally on the money when they named this lipgloss of theirs–INTENSE! is the word for sure. This is a completely opaque color with a high gloss finish. It feels and looks very much like a liquid lipstick. It’s non-sticky and hydrating enough that you won’t have any parched lips after you wear it. I find it lasts about average–three to four hours–before it starts to fade. It has a slightly fruity scent, but it was pretty subtle, because I didn’t even remember what it smelled like and had to revisit my notes.

Where to Buy

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Is this the right pink gloss for you? Would you wear it?

The Summer Season is a series of posts featuring bright, vibrant shades of coral, orange, and pink lipsticks and lipglosses — all perfect for a summer of fun — that runs through July 2010.

Lipstain Markers: A Classic, Full of Flare, Modern Mocha, Point of View,
Purposefully Red, Runway Ripened, Stylesetter, Sunset, Tomorrow’s Coral

MAC Art Supplies Collection: Overall Review & Round-up

OVERALL, Art Supplies is either totally up your alley or something you can easily skip. It’s not really a must-have collection, but it offers some nice pieces and some not-so-fabulous pieces.

The Pearlglide Eyeliners were my favorite part of the launch. They’re all fabulously pigmented and the shade range is excellent. There are a few similar-to shades, but if you’ve missed out on previous Pearlglide launches, they’re nice to pick up. The formula on them is awesome: soft, smooth, and intense color pay off. On me, they wear all day without budging, smudging, or fading. (Note: as far as I have heard, these are not waterline safe.)

No matter how hard I try to (or want to!) love the Lipstain Markers, I just can’t! Shade-wise, I really loved the color of Full of Flare, Purposefully Red, and Stylesetter. These went on very intensely and evenly. If you don’t mind wearing your stain with lip balm or a gloss on top (or just plan to use it as a lipstick base), then those are some shades to consider.

The Lipstain Markers are much, much more wearable when paired with other products–whether you use a balm, gloss, or lipstick on top, the additional product helps keep your lips from dehydrating with just the stain on them. It also helps to keep the stain on and from rubbing off. Purposefully Red is particularly nice for those who love the look of red lips but not the maintenance–the stain itself seems superior to the other shades, too, and a little balm or gloss will make it work.

I think the Greasepaint Sticks are a fun concept, but the ultra dark color range is almost overdone. When I use darker bases, I find that many will “eat” any color you put on top, so I just don’t see the need to own eight different dark bases. They are all smooth and pigmented, so you can’t go wrong with any of the shades. Slick Black is a great solid black eyeliner or base, but if you already own several, you may find it redundant.

The Summer Season: Guerlain Giuliana Rouge G Lipstick

Guerlain Giuliana (#42) Rouge G Lipstick ($45.00 for 0.12 oz.) is a brilliant shade of orange-coral. It’s almost all orange, but it’s not quite a full-blown orange. This was definitely a love-at-first-swatch kind of shade. I saw it in the tube, and I wasn’t too excited, but on the lips? Oh, it’s gorgeous! It has such a beautiful subtle golden shimmer topped with this vibrant shade of orange that doesn’t pull too orange. The Rouge G formula is just icing on the cake, because the color itself is so spectacular.

I’m not typically a big fan of orange-based shades on my lips, but this could easily be my favorite–let’s not be hasty, this is only the kick-off of the Summer Season!

P.S. – For whatever reason, it’s not spelled correctly at a lot of retailers – it’s called “Guliana,” but the name on my lipstick case is “Giuliana.”

Is this the right coral lipstick for you? Would you wear it?

The Summer Season is a series of posts featuring bright, vibrant shades of coral, orange, and pink lipsticks and lipglosses — all perfect for a summer of fun — that runs through July 2010.